


Knowledge or Death

by genericfanatic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 10:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12555844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genericfanatic/pseuds/genericfanatic
Summary: Seeking sanctuary, Acxa goes through the trials of Marmora.





	Knowledge or Death

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think this turned out as well as it did in my head, but I really like the concept so I had to try writing it out.

“It’s a trap!” Keith all but shouted, pacing back and forth, “It HAS to be a trap! First Lotor shows up to ‘save’ us all alone and promising to help, and now THESE three show up? Alone? Separately? No, this stinks, this is some convoluted plan of Lotor’s that’s going to explode in all of our faces.”

Kolivan sat back, waiting patiently for Keith to tire himself out. It was a strategy he’d learned from the Princess Allura. “Are you finished?”

“No!” Keith said. He opened his mouth to ramble more, but coming short of any words, Kolivan stepped in. 

“And what exactly do you propose we do with them?” Kolivan asked, nodding at the doorway behind which Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor were all waiting patiently. It had been a shock when the three had managed to find and navigate their way into a Blade of Marmora secret base, but then Acxa drew her own blade. Keith had never seen her use anything other than guns. 

“Lock them up!” Keith said, “Interrogate them! Find out what they know about Lotor and the Galra and their plans! They came right to us, we might as well use them.”

“The Blade of Marmora does not take prisoners, Keith,” Kolivan said, “Are you prepared to carry out the alternative?”

That made Keith pause. He took several loud, angry breaths, thinking. “I’d kill them in battle if I had to. I have killed before and will again.”

“This is not battle,” Kolivan said, “This would be in cold blood.”

Kolivan watched Keith scramble for a moment, his mind going a mile a minute as his brow furrowed, trying to figure himself out, before he stood straight and patted Lance on the shoulder. “Worry not. It’s not your decision to make.”

The tension left Keith’s shoulders, “Wait,” he said, “then…what’s your decision?”

“Simple,” Kolivan said, “She has a blade. She will face the trials.” 

“But!” Keith said, “She—She probably stole it from someone!”

“That is what we thought of you when you came to us,”

“This is different,” Keith fumed, “I came here with Voltron, I was already fighting the Empire. They were PART of it! And don’t you think its suspicious one of them is missing? Where’s the one with the cat?”

“The trials will answer everything.” Kolivan said, “Knowledge or Death.”

 

“Oh, come on,” Ezor demanded, “Just for a minute? I’ll be quick.”

“No,” Acxa said, “We wait here.”

Ezor groaned flipping upside down on the chair provided. She felt so trapped in here. “It would just be a LITTLE spying! They wouldn’t even know I did it!”

“I said no!” Acxa nearly yelled back. She was holding her knife in her hands. She’d hardly looked at it in years…now it was nearly all that was left to save the lives of her and her friends.

Ezor and Zethrid exchanged concerned looks. “Uhhh Acxa?” Ezor asked, cartwheeling over to sit by Acxa, “Everything alright?” 

“I’m fine.” She said, staring back at the knife in her hand. 

“You’ve been tense ever since we got here,” Zethrid said.

“Our lives depend on people who we considered enemies mere movements ago,” Acxa said, not looking up, “Of course I’m tense.” 

Ezor sighed, “You know, we don’t HAVE to go through with this.” she said, “It’s a big universe! The three of us could go where Zarkon and Voltron and Lotor will never find us.”

“This is our best chance,” Acxa said. “We just have to keep our heads cool, and it’ll all be fine. They’ll let me in.”

“How can you be so sure?” Zethrid asked.

Acxa flipped her knife in her hand. “I’ve known the ways of the Blade since I was a child.”

Zethrid and Ezor both looked confused, but before they could question further, the door opened revealing two blades with their masks up. It was easy enough to identify the smaller one as the paladin they had faced before. “You will go through the trials,” The larger one said. 

Ezor jumped up to cheer, “Alright! Lets do this!” 

“Only those with the blade will compete,” the large one added, “Alone.”

“What?” Zethrid demanded, “We don’t even get to fight anyone?”

“Yeah, what gives?” Ezor said, “We’re a team!”

“It’s fine,” Acxa assured them, “Once I have completed the trials and become a blade, I can vouch for others to join our ranks. Correct?”

“You can’t do that!” The smaller blade said, but the larger one held out his hand to stop him.

“You’re speaking of Quathra?” He asked. She nodded, “that policy has not been invoked in several years.”

“Your numbers are dwindling,” Acxa said, “it is time to revisit the policy.”

The paladin turned up to the large blade as he stood, silently, gaze masked completely. After what felt like forever, he said “you will face the trials. Alone.”

Acxa couldn’t see the Paladins facial expression, but based on his crossed arms he seemed upset.

In no time at all, Acxa found herself staring at her reflection, Lotors uniform replaced with the blade of marmora suit. She bit her lip, refusing to think the name of the person the reflection reminded her of.

She put those thoughts aside and focused on her goal, saving herself and her friends. She was put in a room. A masked blade rose from the floor. From his small stature, she recognized him instantly as the paladin.

They had fought before, but she had her guns then. The blade was his domain, and they both knew it. He had a disadvantage as well, though. He’d never seen her fight with a blade, and had no idea what to expect.

Acxa approached cautiously. The paladin was tensed, ready to pounce. It wouldn’t take much…

A quick feint to the left and the paladin instantly lunged, attacking with full force. Acxa stayed on defense, waiting for an opportunity. 

And he gave it to her. He was clearly frustrated with her, his boss, the situation as a whole, and he grew impatient, therefore careless. His lunge went too wide, leaving him open, and she managed to land a cut on his torso and then a kick to his chest, sending him sprawling. 

The paladin grunted from the floor, turning up to her while clutching his wound. At the end of the room, a door opened. “You aren’t meant to go through that door,” he snarled. 

She paused, curious. She had been ready to walk in through, but that phrase seemed...odd. “What door am I meant to go through?”

That made him freeze, turning up to the window they couldn’t see behind but knew they were being watched. There was a moments silence before the panel that the paladin had ridden up opened for her. With a curt nod, she jumped through.

The small paladin seemed particularly annoyed by this. 

She landed in another room, this one empty of any soldiers. She walked cautiously through, expecting traps. The door opened at the end. Too easy. 

She was distracted by a figure in the next room. “Narti?” She asked, hesitant.

It was an illusion. A trick. It had to be.

She didn’t care.

She ran forward headfirst through the doorway, following Narti’s long tail as her friend backed away. “Narti! Wait!” She caught up and grabbed Narti’s shoulder, only to feel a lurch in her stomach and fall to the ground. 

When she opened her eyes, she recognized the ship she was in too well. “Papa?” She asked the whine in her voice more childish than anything she’d said since…

The alarms blared red around the small ship. No…not only was this the small ship that had functioned as her childhood home...it was her home on THAT day.

“Papa?!” She demanded looking around. Like an echo from her past, she heard a grunt and rushed to her fathers side.

She watched again the blood seeping out of her father’s stomach. She again tried to put pressure on it, only for him to cough, flecks of blood flying out his mouth, “Acxa…” he said softly, “It’s alright. I’m alright.”

Acxa shook her head. This couldn’t be happening, not again. No, this…this wasn’t real. “It’s not alright,” she said. She hadn’t said that last time. “You’re going to die. You died.”

He nodded, solemnly, “I know, dear. I know. But it will be alright. For you.” 

He passed her the knife he carried. “Never…never could get it to awaken for me. Made too many mistakes. Shouldn’t…shouldn’t’ve followed your mother,” he said, shaking his hands, “she had a mission…shouldn’tve…” he groaned again, clutching his wound and capturing her hand.

Acxa shook her head. “No, Papa…Mother left. She left us.”

“That’s not true.”

“She did!” Acxa cried out, “I infiltrated the Empire to find her, and you know what I found? She left! She…she ran to some back-water planet at the edge of the universe! Then she got captured and killed. She…” Acxa shook her head, finally noticing the tear that had fallen despite her will. 

“She did what she had to do,” her father said. 

“Stop!” she demanded of him, “Stop defending her! She abandoned us! If she had stayed you wouldn’t have…”

She broke off her speech. This wasn’t real, this was an illusion, she knew it was an illusion. She couldn’t…she couldn’t watch this again. 

She looked up to the blaring alarms. “What is this?” She demanded, hoping this was more than just a vision and that someone could hear her, “What is this supposed to test? What do you want from me?”

“Why are YOU here?” Her father asked her.

She shook her head. “You’re not real.”

He shook his head as well, mirroring her. “No, I’m not.”

“What is this?” She said, her voice difficult to hear over the alarms. 

“The Blade has one goal, Acxa,” He said. He raised his finger, “One. Your mother understood that. I did not.”

“My father was a great man.” She hissed at him, “My father—my REAL father was a warrior. He taught me to shoot. He fought the empire.”

“Your father wanted to protect you.” He said, “He wanted to protect your mother.”

She flinched. “He wanted more than that.”

He shook his head, wound freely bleeding out beneath their fingers. “That was all he wanted.”

“So what?” She demanded, “What, am I supposed to be like my mother then? The one who LEFT us? Who’s blade was never recovered?”

He was silent, staring at her. 

She pulled her hands out from under his, standing up and backing away. “If this is what the Blade demands I’ll have no part in it.”

His gaze was cool, losing all trace of her father’s friendly eyes. “Knowledge or Death, Acxa.”

The ship swirled around her, until she landed in another memory.

Once again, she recognized where she was, instantly. Granted, all Galra prison cells looked more or less the same, but she knew which one it was and where she was. 

She was sitting on the excuse for a cot. She refused to stay there, jumping up and crossing the room, but that didn’t stop what happened next. “Well, look what we have here?” 

In her memory, this was the first time she’d heard his voice, but she instantly recognized Lotor now, having heard it for years.

He stepped into view of the cell, followed by Narti. Ezor and Zethrid would not be recruited for years yet. “So, you’re the spy,” Lotor said looking down on her. “You don’t seem so frightening.”

She remembered what her line was supposed to be in this scenario, but she would not play along with this illusion any longer. “What is the point of this?”

Lotor leaned casually against the particle barrier of the cell. “I wanted to know if you would be interested in an opportunity. Or if you’d prefer, I can leave you to rot in here for the rest of your natural life.”

“I don’t have to listen to this.” She turned her back on him. 

Lotor seemed more dedicated to his script of the past than Acxa’s father had been. He laughed. “True, I may be a prince, but it would be a mistake to compare me to my father.” He studied her carefully, “I can help you, if you want.”

“Liar,” She snarled at him, “You’re a liar. You never wanted to help anyone other than yourself.” 

That seemed to be the magic words to snap Lotor out of his time-locked dialogue. He stared Acxa dead in the eye. “Isn’t that what you want?” He said, “Survival?”

Clearly she wasn’t getting anything out of ignoring him, so she tried to play along. “I want to keep people close to me safe.” Her gaze flickered to Narti, “You only think of yourself.”

“They’ll never be safe,” he said. “That’s why you need to stay with me. We can run. The empire can’t stop us. The rebels can’t stop us. No one can, once we take things for ourselves.”

“Not for ourselves.” Acxa said, her jaw twitching “For yourself. You may not be your father but you’re just as terrible as him!” 

Lotor smiled. “And you are just as terrible as yours.”

“Stop!” She yelled banging her fist on the barrier, “Stop. Saying that. My father was a good man.”

“He was selfish,” Lotor snarled, “and a coward.”

“You’re lying!” She yelled at him again. “He was a good man!”

“Oh really?” 

Lotor and Narti stayed where they were, but the prison cell dissolved around them to a planet that was burning. The heat rolled over her, the light from the flames blinding her. This place she didn’t recognize, “Where are we?” She demanded.

“This is Jafdos 4.” Lotor said over the burning houses and screams. “After your father sold them out, of course.”

She shook her head. “He wouldn’t…he didn’t…”

“He sold them out because they helped the Blade,” Lotor yelled, “For that, the Galra burned them.”

“Stop it!”

“They had captured him, tortured him,” Lotor said, “And that might not have been enough…but he knew he had to get to you.”

“I SAID STOP IT!”

“One life, for an entire civilization,” Lotor looked over the fields to the people, dying slowly. “Was it worth it?”

“It’s an impossible choice,” Acxa said, “It’s a TERRIBLE choice to make! The Empire did this, it wasn’t his fault!”

“Yes.” Lotor nodded his head sagely, “The Empire did this. And your father did nothing to stop them.”

The flames licked at Acxa’s feet, and she was surprised to feel it burn. “Stop it! Stop this illusion! Stop it!”

“Acxa.”

“Please!” She begged, crying for the first time in what must have been years, “Please! PLEASE STOP IT!” 

“Acxa!” 

All at once, the burning vanished and she was somewhere new. 

“Hey? You okay?” Ezor asked. Ezor’s face hovered over her. Slowly, as she came to her senses, she recognized the Blade of Marmora facility. She was laying down, cradled in Ezor’s arms. Behind Ezor’s head, she saw Zethrid brandishing a gun at an army full of Blades. The paladin had taken his mask off and was standing in front, sizing Zethrid up.

“Ezor…what…what happened?” Acxa asked, thinking fast. 

“You were screaming,” Ezor said, “A lot. And the big guy said it could kill you so we stopped it.”

“What?”

“Get her up,” Zethrid said, “We’re getting out of here.”

“Wait—“ Acxa said as Ezor started to pick her up. “Wait—wait no!” As soon as Ezor got her standing, Acxa pushed away. “No, I…” She thought quickly, “I understand…I get it now.”

“What?” Ezor asked, “What do you ‘get?’”

“Put me back in the trials,” Acxa demanded of the leader. Everyone who’s face wasn’t covered looked shocked. “Whatever I need to do, put me back.”

“Acxa, no,” Ezor said, grabbing her arm, “You can’t!”

“You nearly died,” Zethrid said, “We won’t let you go through that.”

“We can run, run far enough away the Empire won’t come for us.” Ezor said.

“No,” she said, breathing heavily. “I have to do this, I have to be a Blade.” Ezor shook her head, “We’ve allowed too much to happen as part of the Empire. This is more than just me or us. I have to…” She trailed off, distracted by a light in her hand. 

She and everyone else looked down, watching her father’s knife glowed, lengthened and become a sword in her hand.

She blinked in astonishment, lifting the sword to hold in two hands. She could hardly believe it. 

The sound of footsteps broke her out of her reverie. The large blade with a braid stepped forward, removing his mask to face her. “You’re Alok’s daughter,” he said. 

It was not a question but she answered anyway. “Yes.”

“That blade was his when your mother invoked Quathra.” 

Acxa nodded, “Yes.”

“That was the last time it was invoked,” He said, “For good reason. Acxa swallowed, not willing to say anything. 

The blade turned to Ezor and Zethrid. “Do you wish to invoke it now, for them?”

Acxa looked to her friends, the ones who had fought by her side a thousand times. The ones who stood by her when Lotor betrayed them. The ones who were willing to take down the whole Blade of Marmora because she was in pain. She took a deep breath. “No.”

“WHAT?!” Ezor and Zethrid demanded.

“Not yet,” Acxa said. She turned to the Blade, “They—we came here for our own survival. To protect just ourselves. They aren’t ready yet, but they WILL be. I promise, they will.”

The blade nodded, slowly. “You will watch over them until they are,” he instructed. 

Acxa nodded. The blade turned to leave, as did most soldiers. 

The small one, the paladin, stepped forward, practically vibrating with how much he clearly hated everything that was happening. “If you EVER betray us—“

“I will trust that you will strike me down.” She said, nodding. 

The paladin huffed, stalking away. There was something in his eyes that looked…almost familiar. Especially now that he was angry. It reminded her of her mother when she went into battle.

But of course, that had to have been just a coincidence.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! My tumblr is [dork-empress](http://dork-empress.tumblr.com)


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